Valentine's Fever
by Meum Cerebrum Nocet
Summary: When a Valentine's Day dance sends the school into a hormone-induced frenzy, romance may just bloom in the most unlikely of people. Scorose.
1. Chapter 1:Crazy Little Thing Called Love

_**Summary: **__When a Valentine's Day dance sends the school into a hormone-induced frenzy, romance may just bloom in the most unlikely of people._

_**A/N: **__As previously stated, I am not a fan of Valentine's Day. However, I write this in the spirit of love. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: **__Everything but the words on the page, and a few of the characters, belong to the extraordinary J.K. Rowling._

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><p><strong>Valentine's Fever<strong>

**Chapter One**

**Crazy Little Thing Called Love**

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><p><em>This thing, called love<em>

_I just, can't handle it_

_~Queen, Crazy Little Thing Called Love_

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><p>Love was in the air. That much was painfully obvious from the increase in couplings and public displays of affection. Even the most unobservant had made comment about it. It was always the same at this time of the year. As the cold days of January dredged on into more cold days of February, the young hormone-driven students suddenly began a crazed ritual; single individuals who had previously been completely content with their relationship status –or lack thereof- began frantically looking for a partner. Valentine's fever was in the air.<p>

Rose could have cared less about this time of year. Her hormones weren't raging; she didn't suddenly feel a need for romantic companionship. Her biggest worry at the moment was how she would finish her three papers before the end of the week. Rose would have loved to remain oblivious to the upcoming holiday. Sadly, the crazy Valentine's fever had a firm grip on nearly the entirety of the school, and Rose was thrust into the scary and dangerous world of dating at Hogwarts…

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><p>The god awful red and pink posters appeared overnight almost as if it were the work of house elves. Rose knew that couldn't be true; -the headmistress would never have allowed it- bit she wouldn't put it past her Gryffindor contemporaries. It seemed that the female population of Gryffindor was the most affected by it. They were the ones trying to find partners with the greatest frequency and most desperation. It was a member of Gryffindor house, the exceedingly cheerful Millie Finn, which strongly advocated for a Valentine's Day dance to 'revel in the emotion of the season.'<p>

Rose had hoped that it would only be the Gryffindors, and possibly the Hufflepuffs, who would even consider attending. When she woke up the morning of February 9, she was sorely mistaken. Even her best friends Carly and Ella –though she was beginning to question their friendship- had been swept up into the madness that completely permeated Hogwarts.

Rose was hiding away in the library, working hard on her papers. Miraculously, Valentine's fever had yet to reach the library. It appeared as those madly in love did not want to spend time with schoolwork. Rose was just happy to have an escape from the manic atmosphere in the halls.

Taking a quick break from her work, and glancing at her surroundings, Rose was pleasantly surprised to find that she was not the only one more focused on schoolwork that issues of the heart. She saw most of Ravenclaw house smattered around the library at various tables and among the stacks. Sitting at the table closest to her was the sole Syltherin in the entire library.

Scorpius Malfoy had always peaked Rose's interest. From what she'd heard about the Malfoy family, she'd expected him to be haughty, stuck up, entitled, and superior. The few times she'd interacted with him, she'd discovered her expectations were incorrect. Scorpius was shy, reserved, self-deprecating, and extremely intelligent. He was nothing like the rest of his family. It had always made Rose want to discover more; anomalies fascinated her. However, she'd never said more than a few words to him. He wasn't a priority to her.

Sitting in the library, she only gave him a fleeting thought, mused about the fact that he seemed unconcerned about love and relationships, and then returned to her work. Scorpius was a curiosity, an enigma, but of minor importance in the grand scheme of her life.

Before she could give him any further thought, banging of doors and loud, girlish squeals disrupted the sanctuary of the library. Rose sighed and turned to look for the source of the disturbance. Standing in the doorway, a smile that consumed nearly her entire face, was Rose's friend –though she was quickly becoming ex-friend material. Caroline Meyers quickly made her way through the tables filed with staring and glaring students, stopping when she reached Rose's table. She pulled out a chair, plopped down into it and stared at Rose expectantly.

"Hi, Carly, you're in a good mood today," Rose observed, giving her friend a withering look as she did do.

"Randy asked me to the dance, Rosie! Of course I'm happy!" Carly exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air and kicking her feet like a little girl. Rose rolled her eyes at her friend.

"Carly, you're in the library. Take it down a decibel or we'll get thrown out. Plus, I need to focus on these papers." Now it was Carly's turn to roll her eyes.

"You're so lame sometimes, Rose. Schoolwork is so not important right now! It's almost Valentine's Day. You should be focused on finding a special someone to spend the weekend with. Being alone on Valentine's Day is really sad."

Rose once again glared at her friend and lifted one of her large textbooks to block her out. She loved Carly to death, but her friend was so boy crazy, Rose often wondered how her brain had room for anything else. Carly was much more Gryffindor than Ravenclaw, yet somehow she ended up in the house known for with and brains. It was one of life's greatest mysteries.

"Don't ignore me when I'm trying to help you!" Carly exclaimed, her voice sounding perturbed though Rose knew she was faking it. Things rarely bothered Carly; she was very live and let live. Rose rolled her eyes at her friend, something the copper haired girl found herself doing a lot around the brunette.

The sound of a chair scrapping and sliding across the run down carpet finally pulled Rose from her book. She looked up and saw that Carly had pushed her chair back and was preparing to leave. Carly turned to Rose and gave her a sly look.

"You'll come around to my side eventually," Carly sing-songed before she turned on her heel and left the library. Rose sighed and returned to her book, attempting to remove Carly's words from her mind; she didn't need Carly's insane comments taking up space she needed for schoolwork.

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><p>Rose, like countless times before, was eventually able to loose herself completely in her work. Hours passed like minutes as she searched through the stacks, read through thick volumes, and quickly wrote out pages and pages of notes. It was in this state, focused solely on research and textbook reading, that Rose was at her happiest. She didn't need a guy as long as she had her books, at least at this point in her life.<p>

She'd tried to explain that to Carly but the brunette had never understood it. Rose was at home amongst books; Carly was at home amongst people. Carly was wicked smart, but she detested studying and researching of any form. Once again, Rose was left wondering why the two very different girls were such good friends.

Rose was only drawn out of her study frenzy by the sound of someone nearby clearing his or her throat, loudly. Rose looked up, about to give whoever had made the disruption a piece of her mind when she met the apologetic, deep grey eyes of Scorpius Malfoy.

"Sorry to break your focus," he began, his voice soft and apologetic, "but it's time to leave. The library is closing up." He motioned to the large clock above the librarian's desk. It read 9:59. Rose had spent six hours in research mode and missed dinner. As soon as that thought registered, her stomach grumbled from hunger.

"Thanks for the heads up," she responded, a grateful smile crossing her face. He nodded a goodbye at her and then walked out of the library. Rose watched him walk away before she turned to her books and bean picking up. Once she was finished, she took a deep breath and headed out into the love infested hallways.

She weaved and dodged through the hallways, avoiding couples publically displaying their newfound affection and lonely boys looking for some companionship. All she wanted was to grab some food from the kitchens and return to her dorm room. There she'd only have four hormone-crazed girls to deal with.

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><p>Rose lay awake. It must have been at least one in the morning, yet she could not fall asleep. It was, like usual, all Carly's fault. Rose had assumed that her dorm room would be more bearable than the common room or the halls, because it would contain fewer love-crazed individuals; she'd forgotten about Carly's special ability to annoy and infuriate. When Carly put her mind to it, she could drive Rose up the wall faster and more vigorously than one hundred people.<p>

Carly had been in special form that evening. She kept arguing the same asinine points that weren't convincing Rose in the slightest. Rose could have cared less about the social ramifications of going stag on Valentine's Day. Yet Carly continued to argue them' she even convinced Ella and their other roommates to join in on her side.

Rose had gotten so worked up and angry, and now she couldn't sleep because of it. Finally, after attempting, and failing, to fall asleep for several hours, Rose gave up on sleep for the moment. Instead, she rolled over and grabbed her book. Normally, she didn't read late at night because the light from her wand was known to disturb her roommates. Tonight, she could care less.

Her novel de jour was buried under some of the books she'd checked out of the library that day. She removed them, and as she did, a small piece of parchment fluttered to the floor.

Rose figured it was a scrap from her busy note taking that evening and bent down to pick it up. As she brought it up to her face and the wandlight, she found it was covered in writing that looked nothing like her small, loopy script. It was neat, elegant, slanted writing that she didn't recognize. Intrigued, Rose looked at it closer.

_O my love is like a red, red rose_

_That's newly sprung in June;_

_O my love is like the melody_

_That's sweetly played in tune._

_So fair art thou, my bonnie lass,_

_So deep in love am I;_

_And I will love thee still my dear_

_Till a' the seas gone dry,_

_Till a' the seas gone dry my dear,_

_And the rocks melt in the sun;_

_I will love thee still, my dear_

_While the sands o' life shall run._

_And fare thee well, my only love!_

_And fare thee well a while!_

_And I will come again my love_

_Though it were ten thousand miles_

Rose's first impression of it was that it must have been written for one of her roommates. They were all in the throws of love and were the most likely owners of the love poem. However, as Rose thought about it more, that scenario seemed less and less likely. The sheet of paper had fallen out of the middle of her stack of books. If her roommates had left it on her bedside table, it would have either been on top of the stack or beneath it. Rose would've had to acquire it at some point that afternoon in the library before she packed up her stuff.

The next mystery Rose had to solve was who, followed by why. Rose had never had anyone express even the tiniest amount of interest in her. The only people she was close to were Carly, and Ella, who were female, and her family, who were related to her. There was no male she could think of who could have wrote her a love letter.

That led Rose to the conclusion that her receiving it must have been a mistake. Someone could have left it on the table before she got there or while she was in the stacks. She could have found it on the floor by the table and mistaken it, as she had earlier, as hers. However, someone definitely hadn't meant to give it to her.

For some reason, that realization made Rose feel sad. Deciding not to dwell on the feeling or the poem, Rose grabbed her book and began to read.

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><p><em>To be continued<em>

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><p><em><strong>AN:**__ Hope you liked it! Next chapter posted in a week. The poem used was written by Robert Burns and is in no way of my own creation._

_Drop me a review!_

**_Edit:_**_ A reviewer alerted me to the fact that I misrepresented the artist/ band responsible for the song Crazy Little Thing Called Love. I knew Queen was responsible for it, but an internet search produced a connection to Elvis. Guess it just goes to show you that the internet cannot be trusted for everything. :P My error has been corrected._


	2. Chapter 2: Building a Mystery

_**A/N: **__Hey! A little later than what I'd originally planned, but I was on vacation and away from the internet and my computer for all of last week. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! They were an awesome treat to come home to!_

_**Disclaimer: **__Everything but the words on the page, and a few of the characters, belong to the extraordinary JKR._

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><p><strong>Valentine's Fever<strong>

**Chapter Two**

**Building A Mystery**

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><p>'<em>Cause you're working<em>

_Building a mystery_

_Holding on and holding it in_

_~Sarah McLachlan, Building a Mystery_

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><p>"He's too cute!" The loud, high-pitched squeal cut through Rose's pleasant dreams and reverberated through her skull. Her brain was still muddled by sleep, but she was conscious enough to plan at least two ways she was going to kill Carly. Rose only had ten more minutes of sleep left, but the rosette valued her sleep even above her school performance. She squeezed every ounce of sleep out of every morning, and now that Carly had deprived her of it, the loud-mouthed, dark-haired girl deserved to feel excruciating pain.<p>

"I wish my boyfriend sent me flowers. He never does anything romantic like that! Maybe we should break up," Lauren, one of Rose's other roommates commented. Gasps sounded from the other three and were instantly followed by vigorous dissuasions.

"Laur," Carly spoke above the other two, "you can break up with him if you want, but you can't do it before Valentine's Day. Being single on a day devoted to love and romance is so sad and depressing."

Even though Rose was supposed to be asleep in the minds of her roommates, she couldn't help but feel that Carly's commented was directed at her and not Lauren. Of the five Ravenclaw girls, Rose was the only one without a boyfriend. It seemed she was missing the gene that made her want to couple up; she was one of the only ones in her year to be single.

Finally, Rose figured she should start getting ready for class and rolled out of bed. She ignored her roommates, who continued excitedly discussing the romantic things their boyfriends did and their plans for Valentine's Day. Instead, Rose grabbed her clothes and locked herself in the bathroom. She could honestly say, Friday could not be over soon enough.

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><p>Rose sat in her Astronomy class, her one period free of her love-obsessed roommates. She was glad for the reprieve from boyfriend talk. However, she hadn't fully escaped the romance chatter as her classmates busily discussed the upcoming dance. Rose felt like she was an outsider in a place that had previously been her second home; she felt like she was in a small boat rocking in the ocean, fighting in vain to bail out the never-ending onslaught of water that threatened to capsize her.<p>

"Can I sit here?" a voice asked from over her right shoulder. She looked up from her parchment and saw a nervous looking Scorpius Malfoy. Rose knew he was in the class with her, but he usually sat on the other side of the room with his friends. She quickly glanced over to the Slytherin section and saw the two Slytherin females in that class deep in conversation. Instantly, Rose knew they were swept up in the same insanity of the rest of the school.

"Of course," Rose responded, moving her bag out of the way. She hadn't really interacted with Scorpius much –they definitely weren't friends- but Rose was willing to help a fellow non-romantic, no matter what. If he wasn't going to discuss love or anything associated with it, he was welcome. However, the camaraderie provided by their shared aversion of amour was not enough to resolve the silence that fell between the two at the end of their short exchange.

Before the silence between them became overbearing and awkward, Professor Hodgekins swept into the room and began her lecture. As magical number theory was rapidly explained and discussed, Rose's worries evaporated and her sole focus became the lecture at hand.

Rose wished that the school would return to normal. There had always been love and romance in the halls of the old castle, but it had occurred only in minute dosses, affecting minimal amounts of the student body. It had never permeated this deep. Previously, people were not always discussing it, worrying about it, and focusing solely on it.

The class ended much too soon for Rose's liking. It was her last class of the day, her last reprieve from madness. Now she had no shelter to escape to, no other area to focus on and loose herself to. She would have to face her roommates and the rest of the school.

Begrudgingly, she began to pack up her books, taking extra time to postpone the inevitable. Scorpius finished his packing much before she did and whispered a goodbye before he left. Rose would have loved to be able to spend more time with Scorpius, one of her only equals in matters of the heart. However, their previous lack of communication made the option very unlikely.

She was busy imagining the intelligent, compelling conversations she could have with Scorpius, when, lost in thought as she was, she collided with something solid and sent her meticulously packed books sprawling throughout the hallway.

"Good god Rose, who has you so distracted that you ran right into me!" the loud voice of Caroline Meyers called. Rose, who had landed on the ground with the force of the collision, simply groaned at her misfortune. Of course she would run into Carly. Of course it would be while she was distracted. Of course Carly would assume that meant she was thinking about a boy and was therefore unable to function normally.

"I was thinking about my homework, Carly," Rose responded, standing up and dusting herself off before she went in search of her books. It was a lie, but Carly would not be able to take the truth as it was. Just because Rose was thinking about Scorpius did not mean she fancied him, wanted him to be her boyfriend, or anything else of that matter. Girls could think about boys for completely innocent reasons, no matter what Carly believed.

"Sure you were Rosie. I know boy-distraction when I see it. No one, not even the queen of the nerds Rosie, can get that lost in thought over schoolwork. A member of the opposite sex was definitely involved in this collision." Carly bent down to help collect some of the pieces of parchment that littered the hallway. On her return to standing, she paused, reading one of the documents. Rose, noticing the strange behavior, was instantly concerned, for her own sake.

"You okay, Carly?" Rose asked hesitantly. Carly straightened and turned to Rose, her motions robotic. The dark haired girl fixed the rosette with a death glare that sent shivers running the length of Rose's body.

"Someone has been writing you love poetry and, not only haven't you told me, but you've continued to act like you're above all of us who have found love." Carly's words were cold as ice.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rose responded, her confusion not feigned.

"This," Carly responded, waving a piece of parchment in front of her face.

"Carly, that's just notes from class. Give it here so I can read it and explain it."

"Oh no, Rosie. I'm not returning this to you just yet. The others deserve to know how much of a hypocrite you are!" With that, Carly turned on her heel and darted down the hall towards the Great Hall. Rose, her books left forgotten, took off after her friend.

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><p>Rose arrived to the Great Hall significantly after her friend; Carly's love of athletics made her substantially faster than Rose and her love of books. She found Carly in the midst of the other Ravenclaw girls, their heads bent in discussion. At the sight, Rose contemplated whether or not she should forget the scrap, and leave the Great Hall. She knew it would only be postponing the inevitable, Carly and the others would eventually confront her about whatever was on that paper, but the idea of having a couple of hours reprieve was awfully appealing.<p>

However, her decision was made for her when Ella looked up and straight at her. The usually quiet girl shot her hand up and waved at Rose, alerting the others to her presence. Rose swore under her breath and made her way to the table her roommates were seated at. Each step she took felt like she was walking through a thick, muddy bog.

"Hey Rose," Ella stated sweetly once Rose had taken her seat. Ella, no matter what the others felt or believed, would always give the benefit of the doubt and remain a steadfast and loyal friend. Rose really loved her for it.

"Hey Ella," Rose began, wondering what would happen if she just stopped there and didn't acknowledge the others. Deciding she was already in enough trouble with them, she continued on, "Carly, Laur, Gabby."

"Rose," Lauren and Gabrielle acknowledged together. Rose had never been as close to those two roommates as she was to Carly and Ella, but their greeting was almost frosty. She had been sure when Carly had run away that she wasn't truly upset; Carly rarely ever was upset. Now, she wasn't so sure. What was on that piece of parchment?

"Before you yell, at least let me read what's on that parchment," Rose spoke before the others could begin their assault. Carly thrust the paper into the rosette's face; in the movement, Rose discerned that Carly, unlike Lauren and Gabby, was not really mad at her.

Rose looked down at the paper in her hands. It was the same elegant writing that made up the poem from the night before.

_The red rose whispers of passion,_

_And the white rose breathes of love;_

_O, the red rose is a falcon_

_And the white rose is a dove._

_But I send you a cream-white rosebud_

_With a flush on its petal tips;_

_For the love that is purest and sweetest_

_Has a kiss of desire on the lips._

It was another love poem from her, for lack of a better word, secret admirer. That was why Carly had freaked out on her. The dark haired girl assumed that Rose was receiving these notes from a lover she refused to tell the others about and then continued acting like the others were stupid for their pursuits of love.

"It's not what you think it is," Rose began. She knew it would take more explaining than that, but she at least wanted to ensure her roommates would hear her out.

"Well it looks like a love poem, but if you swear its not," Carly began. She obviously only wanted to hear the story Rose was going to tell, still believing that it was from some secret lover.

"I've received two of those poems about roses in the past twenty four hours. The first one I must have got while I was in the library yesterday and I didn't discover it until late last night. I didn't think much of it at the time; I thought it must have been a mistake. But now with this poem, I must have some sort of secret admirer. They randomly appear it my books and papers. I have no idea who is leaving them for me." Rose spoke in her most innocent tone and filled her voice with pleas of understanding.

Once she finished her tale, silence enveloped the small group. Rose, unconcerned with the reactions of Lauren and Gabrielle, turned to look at Carly. The other girl was keeping her features guarded as she took in Rose's story and weighed it for truthfulness. After nearly a minute, Rose was starting to panic. Carly never took this long to make up her mind; she usually went with her gut, which only took a few seconds.

Without any warning, a smile burst across Carly's face. Rose felt her stomach drop. Nothing good every came from such a smile.

"Rosie, you have a secret admirer!" Carly sing-songed, "someone wants to take you to the dance! This is so perfect! You won't be alone on Valentine's Day, after all!"

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><p><em>To be continued<em>

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><p><em><strong>AN: **__Let me know what you thought. Poem by John Boyle O'Reilly._


	3. Chapter 3: I Hope You Don't Mind

_**A/N: **__Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. Hope you like it!_

_**Disclaimer: **__Everything but the words on the page, and a few of the characters, belong to the extraordinary JKR._

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><p><strong>Valentine's Fever<strong>

**Chapter Three**

**I Hope You Don't Mind**

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><p><em>I hope you don't mind<em>

_I hope you don't mind_

_That I put down in words_

_How wonderful life is while you're in the world_

_~Elton John, Your Song_

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><p>Rose thought dealing with her love crazed friends and school would be the hardest thing about the week before Valentine's Day. She hadn't however, counted on her receiving secret-admirer poems and then having Carly discover that fact. Now, the worst part of her week was the near-constant pleas and suggestions from Carly that Rose try and figure out who was sending her the letters.<p>

"This is perfect Rose. There is already a guy out there who obviously wants to take you to the dance. You don't have to do the legwork and try and find one. All you need to do is figure out who it is that wants you and say yes!" Carly exclaimed at breakfast the next day, the scrambled eggs skewered on her fork whipping around with her excited chatter.

"There's just one problem with you plan," Rose responded, cutting a piece of pancake and stuffing it in her face. Carly opened her mouth to respond, but quickly closed it and scrunched her eyebrows to together in thought.

"No there isn't; it's a super simple plan." Carly finally answered.

"The problem is that I don't want to find out who the guy is or go to the dance with him. What part of 'I don't need a date' can you not comprehend Carly!" Rose was so frustrated with her friend that she left her breakfast half eaten and stormed out of the Great Hall.

"Rose!" She was halfway to her first class of the day when a distinctly male voice called out her name, stopping her progress. Annoyed already by Carly's persistence, she turned around slowly, and gave the male a withering stare. Rose recognized him, but in that moment she couldn't place his name.

"Yes?" she asked, her foul attitude showing through in her tone.

"Can I ask you something?" Rose let out a deep sigh but agreed to talk to the semi-mysterious male. He motioned to an empty classroom, which immediately raised the hairs on the back of her neck. However, not willing to put up much of a fight, Rose followed him in. The door clicked shut behind her.

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><p>Rose held her hand over the pocket containing her wand and apprehensively followed the short of stranger into the empty classroom. She stayed several steps behind him as he moved around the room lighting the candles. Finally, Rose felt her deeply repressed boldness bubbling up.<p>

"Who are you, again?" she asked, hoping it didn't sound too rude. She watched as he flicked his wand to light the final candle then turned around, chuckling slightly to himself.

"Michael Graffer," he responded. Rose took the new information and began searching the recesses of her mind to see if she could place the name. Within a few seconds, her brain found a match.

"You're one of James' friends," Rose responded, referring to her least favorite cousin. With her realization, Rose expected him to continue on with why he had brought her into the classroom, but he remained silent. Rose's boldness had since receded and she simply quirked her eyebrow up, hoping he would understand the hint.

Rose was almost ready to write Michael off as a weirdo and just leave the classroom when he finally began to talk.

"So, as I'm sure you know –you'd have to be a complete idiot not to- that Valentine's is in two days…" he trailed off. Rose assumed he was waiting for some verification of his statement. She nodded her head and he continued, "well, rumor has it that you don't have a date for the dance."

The hairs on the back of Rose's neck as her whip-smart brain realized where the conversation was headed.

"Nope," she quickly responded, hoping to shut him down, "and I don't plan to change that fact." Before Michael could say another word, Rose turned on her heel and whisked out of the classroom.

'Worst. Week. Ever!'

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><p>Rose decided that heading straight to her first class, Transfiguration, would be the safest for her sanity as well as the wellbeing of the rest of the school. Having left breakfast a good twenty minutes before the end, she arrived at the classroom ahead of everyone else. She walked into the unlocked classroom and took her usual seat. She had momentarily debated sitting somewhere else to avoid Carly, but decided that Carly wouldn't have an opportunity to annoy her.<p>

She was in the midst of unpacking her books and notebooks when she heard the door open. With the day that she'd had, the noise instantly put Rose on edge. As inconspicuously as possible, Rose looked over her shoulder at the new arrival. She let out a sigh of relief when she discovered that it was only Scorpius Malfoy.

"Hello Scorpius," Rose called, their more frequent interactions making her feel more comfortable in his presence.

"Hello, Rose," Scorpius responded, taking his regular spot several rows behind her. Craving the company of a sane individual, Rose stood and sat, momentarily, in the row in front of the blonde, facing back towards him.

"So, what's your opinion on this thing called Valentine's Day?" Rose asked. Scorpius rolled his eyes and Rose chuckled. She knew he hadn't been obsessed with Valentine's Day like the rest of the school. The two spent the five minutes before the rest of the students filed into the class in pleasant conversation. Rose was grateful to have him to talk to, if not, she was sure she would have lost her marbles days ago.

She made a mental note to keep up the conversation with him even after the school returned to its sanity. You never knew when you'd need a friend who wasn't so easily swept up in the moment.

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><p>What had started out as the worst day of the week had slowly started turning around in class. By lunch, Rose was actually in a decent mood. However, that quickly changed as soon as she sat down at the Ravenclaw table. She was just about to start gathering food to eat when Michael Graffer walked up to her.<p>

"What do you want, Michael?" Rose asked, reaching across the table for a couple slices of bread. She did not have the time of patients for an ambush.

"Just thought I'd give you another opportunity to respond to my request. You know, now that you've had some time to think it over." If Rose hadn't been so composed, she would have turned around and clocked him. Some people should really learn the definition of 'no'.

"Nothing has changed since this morning, and nothing will change before Friday so you can stop wasting your time." Rose returned to her ministrations. However, Michael didn't leave.

"You waiting for anything in particular?" Rose asked. She hoped he would leave before Carly arrived and started making a big deal about it. That was the last thing Rose needed right now.

"Just an answer to my question." Rose gripped her wand.

"What question?" a high-pitched voice asked. Rose's heart sank. She so didn't need this right now.

"Oh, I just asked Rose here to go to the dance with me and she's being stubborn about it." Rose didn't have to see Carly's face to know the expression of pure joy on it.

"Is she now," Carly inquired, taking her usual spot beside Rose, "don't worry Michael, I'll work on her. She'll definitely be up for going to the dance with you by Friday." With Carly's assurance, Michael turned and left.

Rose turned to her friend.

"Not going to happen," Rose stated. She then stood from the table, her lunch forgotten, and headed to the library. At this moment, being anywhere near Carly would only be extremely terrible for her.

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><p>By the end of Wednesday, Rose was seriously considering going into the library and researching bad luck curses. It was beginning to appear as if someone had cast one on her. It seemed that everything that could go wrong did. The school went crazy; someone started sending her mushy poems; Carly discovered the mushy poems; some guy began stalking her to ask her to the dance; and Carly discovered that. Once the library closed, Rose's only sanctuary was in her room, with her bed curtains magically sealed and silenced.<p>

That was where she had escaped to after dinner having successfully alluded both Carly and Michael. She knew Carly was currently outside her bed curtains, attempting to get in and 'discuss things' with Rose. However, Rose was so done with Carly that if she'd allowed her friend in, the dark haired girl might not have survived long. Instead, she sat atop her bed, her potions textbook open as she busily finished her essay on what she referred to as 'Alice potions' –those that could shrink and expand.

She reached into her bag to grab her erasing quill to fix a grammatical mistake she'd notice, when her hand contacted a small piece of parchment that she was sure she hadn't left in there. She pulled it out, in her gut knowing what it was.

It was yet another poem written in particularly elegant script.

_The lily has a smooth stalk,_

_Will never hurt your hand;_

_But the rose upon her brier_

_Is the lady of the land_

_There's sweetness in our apple tree,_

_And profit in the corn;_

_But lady of all beauty,_

_Is a rose upon a thorn_

_When with moss and honey,_

_She tips her bending brier;_

_And half unfolds her glowing heart,_

_She sets the world on fire_

When Michael had first begun to ask her out that morning, Rose had feared that the poems, which were actually quite lovely and she enjoyed, were written by him. However, their interactions throughout the rest of the day made her believe he wasn't. upon reading this third poem, Rose knew for sure. Whoever was giving her these poems had more depth and a greater breadth of emotion than Michael could ever conceive of having.

She gently folded the piece of paper up and slid it into her side table with the other two and her most precious keepsakes. Maybe, if whoever was writing her poems asked her to dance, she would consider going and, maybe, but that was a big maybe, not find this holiday so vile and repulsive.

* * *

><p><em>To be continued<em>

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><p><em><strong>AN: **__Review and let me know what you thought! Poem by Christina Rossetti. _


	4. Chapter 4: I Wanna Dance with Somebody

_**Disclaimer: **__Everything but the words on the page and some of the characters belong to the extraordinary JKR._

_**A/N: **__Sorry for the delay. Essay season hit and I didn't really have a lot of time to write anything else._

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><p><strong>Valentine's Fever<strong>

**Chapter Four**

**I Wanna Dance with Somebody**

* * *

><p><em>Spinning through the town<em>

_Sooner or later the fever ends_

_And I wind up feeling down_

_I need a man to take a chance_

_On a love that burns hard enough to last_

_~I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Whitney Huston_

* * *

><p>Rose stood in front of the mirror and had to stop herself from twirling. Ever since she was a little girl, every time she put on a puffy dress she always felt the overwhelming urge to twirl around so that the skirt lifted and twirled with her. However, in this instance, twirling around like a gleeful little girl would send the wrong message. She was supposed to be against this dance totally and completely. Gleeful twirling did not fit with that.<p>

She was still surprised that she was even going to this dance. She hadn't originally planned on going; she was against this whole crazy Valentine's thing that had taken over Hogwarts. That included the stupid Valentine's Day dance. But once Carly put her mind to something, it was extremely hard to resist her. That, and if Rose war being completely honest with herself, she would admit she hadn't fought that hard against it.

Ever since the stat of the week, Rose had been curious, and after letter number three consumed, by the secret admirer notes she had been receiving. She hoped that whoever it was that was sending them would be at the dance, and would, in some way, shape, or form, make themselves known to her. While she loved herself a mystery, this one was proving harder than most to solve and she was really looking forward to having the solution.

That, and not Carly's annoying prodding and less-than-subtle suggesting was the reason Rose was standing in the poufy royal blue dress and letting Carly fix her hair and makeup. Rose was not that much of a pushover.

"Perfection!" Carly exclaimed as she took a step back to survey her work. "You look gorge, Rosie! Whoever note dude is, he's gonna loose it when he sees you!" Carly clapped her hands a few times in excitement, then turned on her heel and began working on the other girls.

'This night had better be worth it,' Rose thought as she turned to find her shoes.

* * *

><p>Scorpius Malfoy sat stretched out at the table his friends had claimed. He told his friends he'd hold down the fort but now he was regretting it. Sitting all by himself at the large table while his friends danced was starting to make him feel rather lonely.<p>

He scanned the crowd for the hundredth time, hoping to see the smiling face of the girl he'd spent the better half of two years infatuated with. He knew he was getting his hopes up, waiting to see her; this was definitely not something she'd show up to willingly. But hey, a guy could hope.

He was just about to give up hope and go find Albus and hopefully talk him into leaving. When a group of giggling girls in various shades of Ravenclaw blue entered the Hall. His attention immediately shifted to the red head in the middle wearing a stunning dark blue dress and a surly expression. He followed her and her group with his eyes as they made their way through the crowd in search of an empty table.

"Hey!" Scorpius' focus was broken by the arrival of his friend Bell. Scorpius turned to look at his friend begrudgingly.

"All done dancing, Bell?" Scorpius asked.

"Nah, but we all decided that you need to get out on the dance floor. Your obvious staring at Al's cousin is getting a little sad." Bell said it with such little emotion that Scorpius was momentarily taken aback. He sputtered for a moment before he could respond.

"How? What? No! I wasn't." Bell only laughed at Scorpius' attempt at forming a full and complete thought.

"Don't try to deny it, Malfoy. We all know you've got a serious thing for her. So either get off your ass and ask her to the dance, or keep 'holding down the fort.' Either way, stop staring at Al's cousin with hungry eyes or he'll come hex you something fierce." Bell patted him on the shoulder as he stood to leave.

"Shove off, Zabini," Scorpius muttered as his friend returned to the dance floor. Though he did have to admit, Bellamy Zabini had a point. He'd spent the past two years pining over her and it was time he did something about it.

Taking a moment to gather his limited courage, Scorpius stood slowly and began weaving through the crowd in search of the red head in the royal blue dress.

* * *

><p>Rose sat at a table with her friends, talking animatedly about how fabulous and amazing the dance was. For her part, Rose was staying out of her friends' merriment. It was half because she didn't agree with them and half because she was preoccupied with scanning the crowd. She wasn't sure what she was looking for; she just hoped she'd know it when she saw it. If she didn't find it soon though, she'd be mighty upset that she'd come to this celebration of insanity.<p>

"Oh! This is my jam!" Carly exclaimed as a new song filled the room, "Come dance with me Rosie!" Carly stood from the table and grabbed Rose's hand, not giving her much of an option.

Once on the dance floor, Rose did her best impression of a statue as Carly tried her best to make Rose move. Rose was having none of it though. She had agreed to come to the dance, not actually participate in any activities. She was here for one reason only, to find out who her mysterious note writer was. She could easily do that from the table. She did not need to be out on the dance floor, did not need to dance, in order to accomplish it.

"You're no fun, Rose. All I want to do is dance. Can't you give me that?" Carly asked, her voice purposefully sounding extremely innocent and childlike. It was Carly's 'I want something' voice, but Rose had long ago grown immune to it.

"Every other person at that table, except maybe Ella, would have been more than willing to dance with you. You should have known choosing me would not go in your favour." Rose then turned on her heel and headed back through the throngs of dancing students.

"Buzz kill!" Carly called after the retreating copper haired girl. Rose just chuckled quietly to herself and continued through the crowd. She was almost back to the table when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Rose's heart instantly began beating faster and faster. Her breath caught in her throat and she turned as slowly as possible to draw out the moment. Was this her secret admirer? Was the mystery finally going to be solved? She turned around slowly and her rapidly beating heart halted.

"Michael," she deadpanned, quickly rearranging her facial expression from joy to an utter lack of amusement. Just when her evening couldn't get any worse. "What do you want?"

"I'm just surprised to see you here is all. Thought you'd be at the library or something, avoiding this place like the plague."

"Carly's very persuasive," Rose stated simply. She then attempted to lave but found herself halted by Michael's hand around her wrist.

"How about a dance, Rose? Since you're already here on the dance floor and everything."

"I'm not in the mood to dance, Michael. That's why I'm leaving. Now please let go of my wrist." She tugged her arm to help make her point even clearer.

"Come on Rose, one dance won't kill you," Michael responded, tightening his grip on her wrist. Rose continued to pull on her arm, but Michael wasn't letting her go.

"Let go, Michael. You're hurting me." Rose was beginning to get annoyed at him. However, he didn't respond. He just turned and began pulling her towards the center of the dance floor. Rose attempted to dig in her heels, but the floor was too slippery and she just glided along instead.

Rose continued to try and wrench her arm free, but Michael's grip was much too tight. On her tenth attempt, Rose found no resistance against her efforts and stumbled back with the force of her pull.

She massaged her wrist with her other hand then focused her attention on Michael, who was sprawled on the floor.

"What?" she asked under her breath, trying to process what was happening. Finally, her attention flickered to her right and the scene in front of her became clear.

* * *

><p>As Scorpius made his way towards Rose's table, a large group had passed before him and he momentarily lost sight of the table. When he finally saw it again, Rose and her often-excited friend Carly were no longer sitting with the others. He almost considered going up to the table and asking where they'd went, then the thought better or it and turned to see if he could find them on the dance floor. When he didn't immediately find her, he decided to try and get a closer look.<p>

He began scanning the crowd and moving throughout it. He quickly found Carly dancing wildly by herself, acting as if she didn't have a care in the world. He looked around, trying to see if he could spot Rose nearby, but he was unsuccessful. He was about to turn around, when he heard his name being called.

"Scorpius! Fancy seeing you here! You looking for Rose?" Carly asked, dancing her way in front of him.

"How-? What-? No!" Scorpius stuttered, taken aback by Carly's question.

"It's super obvious, this thing you have for her. Nearly everyone knows it, except for maybe Rose. I bet you've been the one writing her those poems."

"How do you know about those?" Scorpius asked, stating the first thing that came to his mind.

"Ha! I knew it!" Carly exclaimed, doing a little dance of joy, "Rose shares everything with me. That's what best friends do." Scorpius was struck dumb and just stood there staring at the short, dark haired girl who was dancing around in front of him.

"Do you know where Rose is?" he finally asked Carly after collecting his thoughts.

"She went back to the table. She's a major buzz kill," Carly answered, dancing off after she'd finished. Scorpius stood for a moment, staring at the strange girl, before he turned and headed back towards the table he'd first spotted Rose at.

He was halfway through the crowd towards the table when a sight out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He stopped and turned to focus on it and every muscle in his body tightened. He marched over to the pair, not even taking a second to think about what he was about to do, or what the consequences would be. When he was within striking distance he pulled out his wand and muttered a spell under his breath. In the next instance, the boy who had previously been dragging Rose by her wrist went flying back and landed hard on the ground.

Rose stumbled back, and then looked around to figure out what had just happened. Scorpius considered ducking back into the crowd before she spotted him, but people were quickly moving away from him. Rose finally spotted him and a look of understanding replaced her previously confused expression.

Scorpius just stood in front of her, looking sheepish. It was Rose who spoke first, breaking the silence.

"We'd better get out of here before a teacher comes," she stated hastily, moving towards him. She then grabbed his hand to lead him away and Scorpius' mind went blank.

* * *

><p><em>To be continued<em>

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **__Hope you enjoyed it. Drop me a review! Chapter five up in two weeks._


	5. Chapter 5: The Power of Love

_**Disclaimer: **__Everything but the words on the page and some of the characters belong to the extraordinary JKR._

_**A/N: **__Final chapter! Enjoy!_

* * *

><p><strong>Valentine's Fever<strong>

**Chapter Five**

**The Power of Love**

* * *

><p><em>We're heading for something<em>

_Somewhere I've never been_

_Sometimes I'm frightened_

_But I'm ready to learn_

_Of the power of love_

_~Power of Love, Celine Dion_

* * *

><p>Rose had initially been startled when Michael's grip was removed from her wrist and it took a moment for her brain, as highly advanced as it was, to comprehend the events. First, she took in Michael sprawled on the floor, looking dazed and confused. Then, she took in the crowd around her. Moments earlier, the students had been dancing to the upbeat music and were either oblivious to her plight or consciously ignoring it. Now, they were all focused on the situation and facing one direction in particular.<p>

Slowly, Rose turned to look in the same direction. She wasn't sure what to expect and whether or not she'd like it when she saw it. However, everything she'd thought and imagined paled in comparison to what had grabbed the attention of everyone in the vicinity.

Standing in the middle of what was now a clearing was Scorpius Malfoy, his wand drawn and nearly every muscle in his body tensed. Rose was shocked at the sight and stood for a moment in silence. When she was finally able to function again, she grabbed Scorpius' hand and began leading him through the crowd and out of the Great Hall. She didn't stop until they were out the front doors of Hogwarts and out in the grounds, halfway to the lake. When she was sure they were safe from the prying eyes of the dancers and the accusatory stares of the professors, she stopped where she was, dropped his hand, and turned to face him.

"What just happened?" she finally asked. As she'd led him out of Hogwarts, she'd thought and rethought of every possible reason as to why Scorpius would hex another person for her. As the silence dragged on, her theories became wilder and wilder until she began thinking that Scorpius may actually have feelings for her. She'd laughed that off –internally- as her overactive mind being crazy again. Scorpius was just starting to be her friend; there was no way he could have stronger feelings for her than friendship.

A silence passed between the two that quickly became awkward. Rose couldn't understand why he was finding it so difficult to answer. It hadn't been that hard of a question, or so Rose thought. All he had to do was explain why he'd hexed Michael. Yet, the silence stretched on. It was getting to be so long and awkward that Rose was beginning to worry.

"Scorpius?" she asked, hesitantly, worried he may be having a seizure or something.

"Sorry, I was just trying to find the best way to explain it. You know, in a way that doesn't reflect poorly on me or makes me look like a total creep," he finally responded.

"It's this difficult for you to come up with a version like that?" Rose blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. "Were you trying to kill him or maim him or something?"

"No, I just wanted to get him to let you go. It was obvious he was dragging you against your will. I had to do something," Scorpius explained, his tone slightly defensive in the face of Rose's accusations.

"That didn't make you sound like a creeper. In fact, you actually sounded quite heroic, saving the damsel in distress from the evil bad guy. Why was it so hard to say?"

"That part wasn't what I was struggling with. What was difficult, and had the possibility of making me look like a creep if I didn't express it correctly, was why I did what I did."

"To help me? What else?"

Scorpius paused for a moment, another awkward silence threatening to develop. However, before it became to prolonged, Scorpius broke it.

* * *

><p>Scorpius didn't remember much of the dash out of the castle; his mind went blank and ceased functioning the moment Rose had grabbed his hand. He felt idiotic for reacting that way over something so small in the grand scheme of things. It was how silly, over-emotional little girls reacted in annoying muggle romantic comedies; it was not how mature men reacted in the real world. In an attempt to make himself feel a little bit better about the situation, he explained his brain failure on the emotionally overwhelming events that had occurred in the last few minutes.<p>

His brain finally started working again once they were out in the grounds and headed towards the Black Lake. The crisp evening air hit his face and acted as a kick-start for his brain. It was fortuitous because, in the next instant, Rose dropped his hand and asked him the question that, even though he hadn't thought about it before, he now dreaded.

"What just happened?"

It was a simple enough question, and one that the previous events most definitely warranted. Of course Rose would want to know what had happened, why it had happened, and why he did it. However, his momentary brain malfunction had put him at a disadvantage. Rose had obviously spent the time coming down here thinking things over. Scorpius hadn't.

As soon as the question was asked, Scorpius began contemplating it. It was simple enough to answer in its most basic form. What just happened was he'd hexed the guy Rose was with. He could just say that and hope it was enough, but he knew it wouldn't be. Rose had most definitely already discerned as much. What she was obviously looking for was why it happened. Why had he hexed that boy? What had been his motive behind it? That was less simple.

Why he had done it was because he was hopelessly in love with her. He couldn't stand her being unhappy as a result of another male and that was why he had hexed the other guy. However, that explanation could very easily backfire on him. Firstly, it made him appear over-involved in her life –which he was. He was the only one in the vicinity to the two who had noticed what was going on and reacted to it. They were barely friends; their relationship did not warrant such a strong reaction. Secondly, his confession could be rejected and that would leave him heartbroken and devastated. Explaining why he had done it would only end badly for him.

"Scorpius?" Rose asked hesitantly, breaking his train of thought. He hadn't realized he had taken such an extended amount of time to answer, but Rose was obviously worried for his sanity as a result.

"Sorry," he apologized, feeling extremely awkward about eh extended pause, "I was just trying to find the best way to explain it. You know, in a way that doesn't reflect poorly on me or makes me look like a total creep." He figured that honesty was his best option at that moment. A lie would take him a moment to perfect and he didn't have time for it.

"It's this difficult for you to come up with a version like that?" Rose blurted out. Scorpius was a little taken aback by her bluntness, but he felt he had deserved it for the awkward pause. "Were you trying to kill him or maim him or something?"

"No," Scorpius exclaimed, "I just wanted him to let you go. It was obvious he was dragging you against your will. I had to do something." In the heat of the moment, Scorpius quickly explained himself. As soon as he'd said it, he realized he could have said it from the start and avoided all the awkwardness. It seemed something in the universe had it out for him.

"That didn't make you sound like a creeper. In fact, you actually sounded quite heroic, saving the damsel in distress from the evil bad guy. Why was it so hard to say?" Scorpius was asking himself the same question. Why hadn't he thought of explaining it as him being a nice guy and helping a girl in need? Why had he immediately jumped to including his feelings in it? They had been included in the action, but why had he needed to include them in his explanation? Maybe it was a sign. Maybe he was supposed to include his feelings in his explanation.

"That part wasn't what I was struggling with. What was difficult, and had the possibility of making me look like a creep if I didn't express it correctly, was why I did what I did."

"To help me? What else?" Rose asked, true curiosity filing her tone. Scorpius paused for a moment to collect himself for what he was about to say.

"The reason why I hexed him was to help you. The reason why I was the only one paying attention to you and your plight is because," he paused once more to collect himself, "I'm in love with you."

* * *

><p>"Ouch, Carly! Watch where you're stepping with your crown feet!"<p>

"Shut up Laruen! We're going to miss what's going on ig you keep talking!" Carly shot back as one of the three other girls who were crouching behind a bush on the expansive Hogwarts' grounds. After the events on the dance floor –which the entire school was aware of within moments of it happening- the four Ravenclaw girls had crept down after Rose and Scorpius to see what would happen. Carly was certain that Scorpius was Rose's poem-writing secret admirer. Now, she was certain it was all about to come out and she wasn't about to miss a second of it.

However, the three other girls were in the midst of a small, yet extremely distracting struggle over the limited amount of space behind the bush. Their argument, while whispered, was making it next to impossible for Carly to hear what was being said between the two people standing several feet away. She turned to face her companions, her expression showcasing the annoyance and anger she felt inside.

"Would you either shut up or leave!" she seethed. Whether it was her tone, her expression, or a combination of the two, the three immediately shut up. Feeling extremely pleased with herself, Carly turned back with a satisfied bounce just in time to see Rose throw herself at Scorpius.

Carly's satisfied smile grew.

* * *

><p>"I'm in love with you."<p>

The words hung between the pair for several seconds. Rose was stunned by them, by his confession, and she could not respond for several seconds. Of all the reasons for why he'd hexed Michael, Rose had not expected that. She had considered it, but had quickly laughed it off because it was absurd. She had thought he was the one other person in the entire school who hadn't gone love crazy. However, unlike every other individual at Hogwarts, Rose was not immediately put-off by the fact that Scorpius was just as love-crazed as the rest of the school. In fact, she was actually glad because of it.

Scorpius must have taken her shocked silence as a sign that she wanted him to continue explaining himself because, after several minutes of muteness, he began speaking again.

"It's not a new thing or a result of the Valentine's craziness and explosions of 'love' that has recently taken over the school. I've been falling for you for years now. Though I think I decided to start acting on it now because of the fervor of the school."

Rose instantly focused on his last comment and found herself confused by it. The way he had phrased it made it seem as if he had done several things over some time to express his feelings for her.

"What do you mean acting on it?" Rose finally vocalized. Scorpius blushed red in response -redder than he already was- and began stuttering. Finally, he was able to compose himself and answer Rose's question.

"I've been sending you letters with poems this past week." Scorpius admitted. Once again, Rose was shocked into silence. Scorpius, her new friend, was her letter-writing secret admirer?! Once that knowledge had fallen upon Rose, her logical side kicked in and she began examining how it made her feel. Was she happy? Disgusted? Put off? Did she return his feelings? She quickly, yet thoughtfully, regarded each question.

After determining how she felt, she reacted. Without too much thought on the action itself, Rose sprung at Scorpius and planted her lips on his in a hurried kiss. However, the force of Rose's spring sent the two of them toppling to the ground. After the momentary incapacitating effects of the impact, the two turned to look at each other and burst out in joyous laughter. Scorpius then, in a rare surge of courage, wrapped his arm under Rose and pulled her close to him.

It was in this position, laying on the ground in each other's arms, staring up at the stars in the sky, that the pair spent the rest of the evening.

* * *

><p><em>The End<em>

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **__C'est fini! Let me know what you thought!_


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